'''The story suggests it's a matter of conscience rather than ability to learn.''
Conscience? How is anyone to know?
As the story goes, it is so vague that there have been numerous interpretations and no clear answers. Which makes it a silly example in relation to my question on the terms of salvation.....but you insisted.
"View 1: When Noah was building the ark, Christ 'in spirit' was in Noah preaching repentance and righteousness through him to unbelievers who were on the earth then but are now 'spirits in prison' (people in Hell)."[8]
"View 2: After Christ died, he went and preached to people in Hell, offering them a second chance of salvation."[9]
"View 3: After Christ died, he went and preached to people in Hell, proclaiming to them that he had triumphed over them and their condemnation was final."[10]
"View 4: After Christ died, he proclaimed release to people who had repented just before they died in the flood, and led them out of their imprisonment (in Purgatory) into Heaven."
"View 5: After Christ died (or: after he rose but before he ascended into Heaven), he travelled to Hell and proclaimed triumph over the fallen angels who had sinned by marrying human women before the flood."[11]
These views revolve around the identity of the spirits in prison, the time in which the preaching took place, and the content of the preaching.[12]
Early Christian interpretations
According to Augustine the spirits are the unbelieving contemporaries of Noah, to whom the spirit of Christ in Noah preached, or to whom the pre-existent Christ himself preached.[6] Reformation and Enlightenment views
Unitarians, such as Thomas Belsham, considered that the spirits in prison were simply Gentiles in the prison of ignorance to whom Christ preached through his apostles.[7]
This is all beside the point. The issue being the terms of salvation and their implications. If you can't deal with that, please, don't bother trying.
